Skip to Main Content
A nonprofit, independent news source to inform, inspire, educate and connect the St. Louis Jewish community.

St. Louis Jewish Light

A nonprofit, independent news source to inform, inspire, educate and connect the St. Louis Jewish community.

St. Louis Jewish Light

A nonprofit, independent news source to inform, inspire, educate and connect the St. Louis Jewish community.

St. Louis Jewish Light

World news

Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows speaks during a May Day rally organized by unions outside City Hall in Portland, Maine, on May 1, 2026. (Graeme Sloan/Getty Images)

Democratic Senate hopeful says Israel is committing genocide

Philissa Cramer, JTAPublished July 13, 2026

  (JTA) — Graham Platner concluded his Senate bid on a pro-Palestinian note on Friday, in the last lines of a letter to Maine’s secretary of state formally withdrawing his candidacy. “F*ck ICE. Free Palestine. Up the Hearts,” Platner...

Sen. Lindsey Graham (L) meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netenyahu (R) in Jerusalem on April 17, 2023. (GPO/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Lindsey Graham, pro-Israel Republican senator, dies suddenly at 71

JTA StaffPublished July 12, 2026

  (JTA) — Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina who has been one of Israel’s staunchest supporters in Congress, has died at 71. Graham’s office announced his death in a statement early Sunday morning, saying that he...

Israeli content creator and beat boxer DJ Raphi leads a group of kids in dancing at a recent celebration in northern New Jersey for North American Jews planning to move to Israel this summer. The event was hosted by Nefesh B'Nefesh, an organization that facilitates North American Jews' move to Israel. (Matt Capowski)

Meet the North American families who are moving to Israel right now

Peter Ephross, JTAPublished July 11, 2026

  (JTA) — At first glance, the recent celebration outside a northern New Jersey synagogue looked a lot like a bar or bat mitzvah party. Dance music blared from the speakers, many of the men wore kippahs and there was enough food coming off...

Lionel Messi, then with FC Barcelona, puts a paper with wishes in a crack in the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest site, in Jerusalem during a team trip to Israel and the West Bank, Aug. 4, 2013. (Oliver Weiken/AFP via Getty Images)

Why Lionel Messi keeps getting pulled into Jewish and Israel debates

Juan Melamed, JTAPublished July 10, 2026

  (JTA) — Argentine soccer icon Lionel Messi, widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, has built one of football’s most decorated careers. Throughout his illustrious career, Messi has cultivated a...

Left: New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani. Photo: John Jones-Imagn Images.
Right: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/Pool.

New poll: Mamdani is more popular than Netanyahu among American Jews.

By Jacob Kornbluh, The ForwardPublished July 8, 2026

  New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, whose outspoken criticism of Israel has made him a frequent target of Jewish and pro-Israel advocates, is viewed more favorably by American Jews than Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according...

Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Graham Platner holds up a handmade card given to him by an audience member reading 'We Are your Grahamily And We've Got Your Back!' during a campaign town hall meeting in Portland, Maine, U.S., June 7, 2026. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

Accused of rape, anti-Israel Senate candidate weighs his future

Jessica Russak-Hoffman, JNSPublished July 6, 2026

  Graham Platner, the Democratic, anti-Israel Senate candidate in Maine, raped a woman with whom he was having an “on-and-off” relationship, the 41-year-old Maine resident and lifelong Democrat Jenny Racicot told Politico. Platner was...

Load More Stories